Arsenal’s German Attacker Hints At Surprise Summer Move

The January transfer window may have slammed shut but clubs will still be working hard behind the scenes at identifying targets for the summer, so we’ll bring you all the latest news, gossip and rumours. Today, Gooner Mac brings us news of a possible departure from Arsenal.

Arsenal attacker Lukas Podolski has left the door wide open to a potential summer return to former club FC Koln, according to the Daily Express.

Like the rest of the Arsenal squad, Podolski was given two days off following our 4-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday and he took the time to head back to Germany to watch his former club in action against SpVgg Greuther Furth on Monday night.

While in his homeland, he was quizzed by reporters about a potential return to Koln this summer should they gain promotion back to the Bundesliga this season and the 28-year-old hinted it could be a possibility and admitted the club will always be the team of his heart.

“You can never rule anything out in football,”

“The FC [Koln] is always my club and always will be.” Podolski is quoted as saying by the Express.

Koln are currently sitting six points clear in the German Bundesliga 2 table so are on course to return to the top flight, and Podolski has also admitted he enjoys going back to see his former team when he has the time. He continued:

“If I have time I am always happy here.

“The quality is there on the field and on the bench.

“So far, they’ve had a great season.”

Podolski started off his career at Koln before earning a big-money move to Bayern Munich in 2006. His time at the Allianz Arena didn’t go according to plan and he eventually moved back to Koln in 2009 where he spent three successful seasons before sealing a move to Arsenal in 2012.

The German international’s time at the Emirates has also been mixed. His strike-rate is excellent as he’s scored 22 goals in 54 appearances, and it’s made even more impressive by the fact he’s played the majority of games out wide on the left wing – which isn’t his favourite position.

However, a serious hamstring injury saw him miss the majority of the first half of the season and he’s struggled to regain his place in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven since returning to action, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked for a move this summer.

A switch back to Koln could therefore be on the cards if they seal promotion and want to make a statement with a marquee signing, but it would still be something of a surprise as Podolski should be playing at a higher level. It seems he’s not quite able to make it at a club like Bayern or Arsenal, but he should certainly with a club pushing for the Champions League at least.

There’s also the question of whether Arsene Wenger would even let the forward leave. It’s difficult to know with the Arsenal boss, as everyone knows he’s got an excellent poker face when it comes to transfers and rarely gives anything away. However, we’ll see over the closing stages of the season how much Wenger rates Podolski and whether he see’s him as an important member of his squad or not.

If he continues to be left on the sidelines, then the odds are he’ll leave in the summer, but if he manages to play his way back into Wenger’s thinking, it’s likely Koln will have to wait for at least another year before their prodigal son returns.

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